Flydubai launched the first direct route from Dubai to Bodrum this summer. Under five hours away, the hilly coastal Turkish city looms above the tranquil waters of the Aegean Sea and offers haunts for all manner of holidaymakers: from water lovers and party animals, to foodies, fashionistas and history buffs.
Here are five ways to spend your time in beautiful Bodrum.
Visit Bodrum Castle and a museum on shipwrecks
Located on the fringes of Bodrum Marina, the storied Bodrum Castle is an unmissable site. Originally named the Castle of St Peter, construction began in the early 1400s by a medieval Catholic order called the Order of the Knights of Saint John, as a line of defence against the Seljuk Turks.
The castle was lauded at the time for the protection it offered from its harbour-facing vantage point — now one of the city’s most selfie-friendly spots — as well as the state-of-the-art cisterns built for rainwater collection. Of the several hundred carved reliefs and painted coats of arms, nearly 250 remain in place, as do dozens of Byzantine mosaics, sphinx sculptures and anchors of every shape and size.
Just a few decades after its completion in the late 15th century, the castle was taken over by the Ottomans. Its chapel became a mosque complete with a minaret. Over the centuries, the fortification has also served as a base for the Turkish army during the Greek Revolt in 1824, a military post for the Italians after the First World War, a public hammam and a prison.
Contained within the castle’s premises from the 1960s is the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, which makes good on humankind’s fascination with shipwrecks and precious goods lost (and then found) at sea. From intricate amphoras and glassware to coins and jewels, the museum is the largest of its kind.
Bodrum Castle is open from 9am to 4.30pm on all days except Mondays; tickets start from 20 Turkish lira ($1.10) and an audio guide is available for an additional $0.85.
Shop at Yalikavak Marina
Yalikavak, fondly dubbed by locals as “Bodrum’s Dubai Mall”, is the city’s most upscale marina (in contrast, Bodrum Marina is dotted with boutique shops and local cafes, while the waters around Turkbuku bay are dotted with cafes and lounges that come to life after sunset).
At Yalikavak you’ll find outposts of popular fine-dining restaurants including Zuma, Bagatelle and Nusr-Et Steakhouse, as well as a nook with high-end shops including Bulgari, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada and Valentino — akin to the luxury end of Fashion Avenue at The Dubai Mall.
The rest of the expansive marina is filled with high street shops, Turkish and Italian restaurants as well as plenty of superyachts. Several of the restaurants have an upper level, which serves as an observation deck in the day and a dance floor by night.
Eat a meal at Isola Manzara
Perched on a hill above Haremtan Cove, fine-dining Italian restaurant Isola boasts some of the best views in the city. Choose a spot on its patio and you’ll have Bodrum right under your nose, glittering in the sun or twinkling by moonlight. Bodrum Castle, which is illuminated come nightfall, is visible in the distance, as are the yachts moored at Bodrum Marina.
Although it’s part of the Mett Hotel & Beach Resort, Isola is located outside the hotel’s premises and is kept open until January as the restaurant is a popular spot for Christmas and New Year’s Eve revellers, even though the resort shuts in September post the peak summer season. The sprawling patio is divided between a dining and lounge section, with the latter offering DJs and a dance floor.
Spectacular views and stylish patrons aside, Isola offers up a menu of Italian classics, with a focus on top-notch ingredients that, Calabrian chef Francesco Bagnato says, “respect the seasons” and are cooked in “simple Mediterranean style”.
Simple was not the first thing that came to mind upon a taste of the beef carpaccio and arancini ($14 each). The first comes with a porcini mushroom mayonnaise, while the cheesiness of the arancini balls is offset with a delicious green pea paste. Chef-recommended mains include spaghetti alle vongole ($20) and Milanese lamb chops ($28). Both dishes are oozing with flavour; the Parmesan-clad clams go down a treat, while the lamb is at once tender and meaty.
“Seafood and meat lovers could also opt for the fresh Catalana lobster or malloreddus pasta with porcini and ragu. For vegetarians, I would suggest the Parmigiana di melanzane,” says Bagnato.
While the chef recommends the “very nice tiramisu”, the lemon-orange creme brulee ($10) comes with a crust that has been caramelised to perfection and is large enough to share between two or even three people.
Visit Gumbet come nightfall
A stone’s throw away from Isola is Bodrum’s “Street of Bars”. Gumbet is a must-visit even if you’re not a teenybopper or night owl. The sheer assault to the senses is worth experiencing, if only during a quick walk-through.
The bright white tube lights from souvenir shops clash with the dancing fluorescence emitting from enormous disco balls, while Rihanna songs blare from the speaker of The Temple Bar, even as neighbouring Pasha (one of Bodrum’s oldest, most opulent nightclubs) ramps up the volume on Farsi trap music tracks.
Interspersed between the bars, clubs and shops, are local restaurants serving up excellent Turkish food and shisha. Snag a spot at any of these to enjoy the people-watching and tune-turning even as you dig into some of the best doner kebaps and, bizarrely, margherita pizzas in the city. Or simply make pit stops at one of the many vendors selling mussels, cooked in their shells with citrusy rice, for less than a dirham a pop. But be warned: no one can eat just one.
Plan a day trip to Kos
As day trip destinations go, you can’t go wrong with the Greek island of Kos, which is a 30-minute ferry from Bodrum Marina.
Once you disembark at Kos Marina, make the 20-minute walk to Eleftherias in the old town. The open-air “freedom” square houses Defterdar Mosque; Kos Market Hall, which sells local produce; and the mosaic-filled Archaeological Museum.
History buffs should also plan a visit to the Roman Odeon and Casa Romana, both a short walk from the marina, or make the 15-minute drive to the Asklepion temple ruins, where Hippocrates practised medicine. The Ancient Greek physician is also said to have taught pupils under trees in town squares, one of which — the majestic Plane Tree of Hippocrates — is located a few minutes away from the square.
Families with children can head to Aquatica or Lido water parks, or visit Plaka Forest, a picnic spot with free-roaming animals and birds — all about 40 minutes from the marina.
The first ferry starts at 8.45am from Bodrum and the last ferry departs from Kos at 6pm, with four time slots available through the day.
If you can’t spend a whole day away (or require a Schengen visa to enter Grecian waters), sailing is one of Bodrum's big draws, so charter a sailboat or yacht and explore the city’s famed coastline and boat-friendly beach clubs instead.
Getting there
Flydubai operates seasonal non-stop flights from Dubai to Milas-Bodrum Airport. Services depart from the UAE on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Fares start from Dh1,820, and flights will operate until September 17 this season.
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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BRAZIL SQUAD
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
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3. Hajj
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Test squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan(wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah
Twenty20 squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Musa Khan, Shadab Khan, Usman Qadir, Wahab Riaz
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
